UH Mānoa to study Athletics program

Chancellor Virginia S. Hinshaw announced today that the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa will begin a year-long, campus-wide effort to study its Athletics program as part of the NCAA Division I athletics certification program.

While academic accreditation is common at colleges and universities, this program focuses solely on certification of athletics programs. UH Mānoa completed its first certification self-study in 1996. At the 1997 convention, the NCAA Division I membership voted to change the frequency of athletics certification from once every five years to once every 10 years.

UH Mānoa completed its second certification self-study in 2002. Thus, the current self-study will be the third in the certification process for Mānoa.

The athletics certification program’s purpose is to help ensure integrity in an institution’s athletics operation. The program opens up athletics to the rest of the university/college community and to the public. Institutions benefit by increasing campus-wide awareness and knowledge of their athletics programs, confirming strengths and developing plans to improve areas of concern.

“Participation in athletics is a valuable part of the student experience offered at Mānoa—either as athletes engaged in intercollegiate competition or as spectators at events that provide social opportunities for students to enjoy, remember and stay connected with UH Mānoa,” said Chancellor Hinshaw. “A strong, successful Athletics program also magnifies the visibility of UH Mānoa throughout Hawai‘i and beyond, and serves as a very important connection with students, alumni, decision-makers and potential donors. Because of its impact on the entire campus, it’s crucial that all segments of our campus community be engaged in this comprehensive review of our Athletics program.”

The committee responsible for the study will include Chancellor Hinshaw, Associate Vice Chancellor Alan Yang, who will chair the committee, and faculty, staff, students, community members, and Athletics Department personnel. Four subcommittees have been established to review the areas of:

Governance and Commitment to Rules Compliance. This subcommittee, chaired by Karl Kim, will review the areas of commitment to the NCAA and WAC, institutional goals, and fiscal integrity of the program.

Academy Integrity. Chaired by Jackie Graessle, this group will look at student-athlete academic performance.

Gender and Diversity. This subcommittee, chaired by Gay Satsuma, will study commitment to Title IX.

Student-Athlete Welfare. Chaired by Tom Bingham, this group will examine support programs, and student-athlete rights and responsibilities.

When UH Mānoa has concluded its study, an external team of reviewers will conduct an evaluation visit on campus. The reviewers will be peers from other colleges, universities or conference offices. The peer-review team will report to the NCAA Division I Committee on Athletics Certification. The committee will then determine the institution’s certification status and announce the decision publicly.

The NCAA is a membership organization of colleges and universities that participate in intercollegiate athletics. The primary purpose of the Association is to maintain intercollegiate athletics as an integral part of the educational program and the athlete as an integral part of the student body. Activities of the NCAA membership include formulating rules of play for NCAA sports, conducting national championships, adopting and enforcing standards of eligibility, and studying all phases of intercollegiate athletics.